Abdullah H. Abdel-Khalek was part of this semester’s first graduating cohort of the Cullen College of Engineering’s Computer Engineering & Analytics (CEA) undergraduate students.
The CEA program combines computer engineering and data science, and “students are taught a blend of topics from computer engineering including software and systems, control systems and robotics, and data analytics, which build upon a core engineering foundation.”
“Since I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to be an engineer. I saw engineering as a powerful source of creativity,” Abdel-Khalek said.
“I built my first computer from scratch when I was 14, and I enjoyed the process of building and debugging so much that it became a small side hustle—I’d buy parts, build systems, and sell them. I’ve always had a passion for both the hardware and software sides of computing, which is why I landed in computer engineering.”
Abdel-Khalek originally enrolled in the Computer Engineering program but soon realized his interests in automation and software development aligned better with the newer Computer Engineering and Analytics major.
“Computer Engineering leans more toward electrical engineering, while CEA strikes a true 50/50 balance between software and hardware—something I found really unique,” he said.
“After talking to Dr. Mahmoud Hadi and knowing that Dr. Deepa Ramachandran would be leading the new program—I had already had a great experience under her—I felt it was a risk worth taking.”
“I’ve found a great source of creativity in CEA,” said Abdel-Khalek. “It let me dive deep into AI automation, which is exactly the field I wanted to be in.”
It also informed his senior capstone project, in which he found great success.
“When I first pitched my idea to the CEA department, I got full support,” he said.
“Dr. Leonard P. Trombetta voiced concern that the project might be difficult—it had never been done at this scale before under our department—but thanks to the guidance of Dr. Ajit S. Bopardikar and my teammate Anish S. Siddiqui, who was just as passionate, we exceeded expectations.”
Abdel-Khalek led development on HR.AI, an adaptive AI-powered recruitment framework for dynamic screening, skill assessments, and automated candidate evaluation.
“We originally built it to assess software engineering candidates and finished that version in a single semester,” he said.
“That momentum allowed us to expand it into a universal model adaptable to any job—and that project ended up landing me my internship. It all snowballed from there into freelance offers, a full-time transition and more.”
In fact, Abdel-Khalek is currently in talks with an independent employer interested in testing his program for themselves.
He’s also continuing his academic journey as a graduate student at UH.
“I’m enrolled in the Master’s in Computer Science program at UH under the Data Analytics track, with a focus on agentic AI and a thesis track,” he said.
“I was also honored to be selected by The University of Houston as a mentor for both the iTech-STEM Summer 2025 Camp and the CodeCougars AI and Machine Learning Academy. I’ll be teaching AI, machine learning, and circuits this summer—which is a full-circle moment for me.”
He concluded by offering the following verse:
“Respect the future version of yourself. Imagine looking back: would that future you approve of today’s actions? If yes, then push forward relentlessly—for with hardship, ease comes.” Quran [94:5]